Ride-on toy having a retractable arm and a video camera mount to carry a video camera

ABSTRACT

A ride-on toy having an aesthetically pleasing shape so as to resemble a vehicle, an animal, a cartoon character, and the like, in which a small child to be seated is photographed. One end of a retractable arm is pivotally attached to the front of the ride-on toy. While at rest, the retractable arm is disposed within a vertical channel along the front of the toy. The retractable arm is adapted to be rotated away from the channel to an outwardly extended position. A camera mount is detachably connected to the opposite end of the retractable arm. With the retractable arm rotated to the outwardly extended position, a video camera is detachably connected to the camera mount for the purpose of photographing the child who is seated in the ride-on toy. The camera mount is adapted to be rotated relative to the retractable arm so as to correspondingly tilt the camera and thereby selectively adjust the alignment of the camera with the child.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] This invention relates to a ride-on toy having the shape of a vehicle, an animal, a cartoon character, and the like, in which a child to be photographed is seated. The ride-on toy has a retractable arm that is rotatable to an outwardly extended position at which a camera mount that is connected to the outermost end of the arm can receive and carry a video camera so that the child rider can be easily photographed.

[0003] 2. Background Art

[0004] Parents often wish to photograph their young children by means of a video camera. In order to prevent the child from becoming restless, crying, and walking or crawling away during the photo session, attempts have sometimes been made to occupy the child's attention by placing him in or on a ride-on toy having a passenger compartment or seat. The parent usually stands in front of the ride-on toy and holds a video camera in his hands. However, this method of photographing the child can become tiresome and tedious, particularly if the child requires frequent attention. Moreover, if the parent is moving while carrying the camera, the camera may be shaken and the quality of the pictures adversely affected. Accordingly, it would be preferable to be able to easily and conveniently couple the video camera directly to the ride-on toy in which the child is seated to allow the camera to be steadied and enable the parent to keep his hands free. In this same regard, the parent will be able to remain out of sight and even move the ride-on toy to increase the pleasure of the child while the video camera is operating so as to enhance the finished video product.

[0005] An example of a video camera that is coupled to an amusement toy on which a child is seated is available by referring to U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,645 issued Jul. 2, 1996 to L. H. Collins. However, this ride-on toy lacks the retractable arm of the present invention that is adapted to be rotated to an outwardly extended position so that a camera mount can receive and carry the video camera.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] A ride-on toy that is shaped to resemble a vehicle, an animal, a cartoon character, and the like, is disclosed having a passenger compartment in which a small child to be photographed is seated. A retractable arm is pivotally attached to the front of the ride-on toy. While at rest, the retractable arm is disposed within a vertical channel that conforms to the contour of the toy. The retractable arm is adapted to be rotated away from the channel to an outwardly extended position at which a camera mount that is attached at the forward-most end thereof can receive and carry a video camera for the purpose of photographing the child who is seated in the ride-on toy.

[0007] More particularly, with the retractable arm rotated to the outwardly extended position, a C-shaped camera mount is connected to the outermost end of the arm. A mounting tab projects upwardly from the outermost end of the retractable arm for receipt within a slot formed in the lower leg of the camera mount. The video camera is removably attached to the upper leg of the C-shaped camera mount by means of rotating a threaded fastener through a hole in the upper leg and into mating engagement with a correspondingly threaded attachment port that is formed in the bottom of the camera. The outermost end of the retractable arm has a pair of angled faces that extend in opposite directions from one another. The camera mount that is attached to the retractable arm at the mounting tab thereof can be rotated and tilted towards one of the angled faces of the arm. Tilting the camera mount causes a corresponding change in the orientation of the video camera so that the alignment of the camera with the child to be photographed can be selectively adjusted.

[0008] By virtue of the foregoing, the video camera that is coupled to the retractable arm by way of the camera mount will be held steady and not be susceptible to shaking as might otherwise be the case if the camera were held in the hands of the photographer. What is more, the photographer can keep his hands free to attend to the child or to push the ride-on toy from behind to occupy the attention of the child during filming. By shaping the retractable arm to resemble an integral part of the ride-on toy in which the child is seated (e.g. such as the outstretched trunk of a toy elephant), the aesthetic appearance of the toy can be enhanced and the pleasure of the child increased.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009]FIG. 1 shows the ride-on toy having a retractable arm which forms the present invention rotated to the retracted position within a vertical channel at the front of the toy;

[0010]FIG. 2 shows the ride-on toy of FIG. 1 with the retractable arm removed from the channel and rotated to the outwardly extended position for supporting a video camera by which to photograph a child rider;

[0011]FIG. 3 is an exploded view showing the detachable connection of the video camera to the retractable arm by way of a camera mount that also forms the present invention;

[0012]FIG. 4 is a cross-section of the video camera mount of FIG. 3 taken along lines 4-4 of FIG. 5;

[0013]FIG. 5 shows the pivotal nature of the camera mount so that the video camera connected to the retractable arm can be tilted in forwards and backwards directions; and

[0014]FIG. 6 shows a child seated in the ride-on toy with the video camera connected to the retractable arm in the outwardly extended position for photographing the child rider.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The ride-on toy with retractable arm which forms a first part of this invention is initially described while referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings. The ride-on toy 1 is of the type that is blow molded from a synthetic (e.g. plastic) material and is large enough to receive a small child within a passenger compartment 3. In the alternative, the child may be seated atop the ride-on toy. The ride-on toy 1 can have any one of a plurality of shapes that will be aesthetically pleasing to children such as, for example, that which resembles a car as shown in FIG. 1. The ride-on toy 1 may also have the shape of other vehicles, an animal, or a cartoon character, to name but a few. However, it is to be understood that the precise shape as well as the material from which the ride-on toy 1 is manufactured are not to be considered limitations of this invention.

[0016] The ride-on toy 1 is provided with a set of wheels 5 by which to enable a child who is seated in the passenger compartment 3 to be pushed from place-to-place. It is preferable that the wheels 5 are manufactured from a soft foam or similar rubber to minimize noise as well as the vibrations that are transmitted from the floor to the child rider. A push bar 7 is attached to the rear of the ride-on toy 1 to which a pushing force can be applied to cause the ride-on toy to roll along the floor.

[0017] The retractable arm 10 is pivotally attached to the front of the ride-on toy 1. A channel (designated 12 and best shown in FIG. 2) runs vertically along the front of the ride-on toy 1 within which to receive the retractable arm 10 and a soon to be disclosed camera mount 16 attached thereto. The channel 12 follows the contour of the toy so that while at rest, the retractable arm 10 and camera mount 16 will be disposed entirely within the channel 12 so as to lie flush with the front.

[0018] One end of the retractable arm 10 has an opening by which to receive therethrough a pivot pin 14. As will be disclosed in greater detail when referring to FIGS. 3-5, the opposite end of the retractable arm 10 is mated to the camera mount 16 to which a video camera 20 is to be connected. Of course, a still picture camera (not shown) can be substituted for video camera 20 without effecting the scope of this invention. Accordingly, the retractable arm 10 is rotatable around pivot pin 14 from a retracted position (as shown in FIG. 1) where arm 10 and camera mount 16 are disposed within the channel 12 at the front of the ride-on toy 1 to an outwardly extended position (as shown in FIG. 2) for the purpose of connecting the video camera 20 to the camera mount 16.

[0019] With the retractable arm 10 and camera mount 16 rotated forwardly and away from the channel 12 to the outwardly extended position of FIG. 2, it will be possible for a photographer to effortlessly photograph a small child (best shown in FIG. 6) who is seated in the passenger compartment 3 of ride-on toy 1 while the toy is being pushed from behind at the push bar 7. To this end, the facial expressions of the child can be easily captured without the photographer having to stand in front of the ride-on toy 1 while holding the camera in his hands and walking backwards. By virtue of the foregoing and the soft construction of the tires 5, the video camera 20 will be less susceptible to shaking than had the camera been hand carried. With the retractable arm 10 rotated to the retracted position, the overall size of the ride-on toy 1 will be reduced to a more compact configuration that is suitable for efficient transport and/or storage.

[0020] The details of the camera mount 16, in accordance with another part of this invention, will now be described while referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings. The camera mount 16 has a generally C-shaped body that is preferably manufactured from plastic. The upper leg 22 of C-shaped camera mount 16 has a hole 24 extending axially therethrough. The hole 24 in upper leg 22 is sized to receive a threaded shank 26 that projects from a rotatable knob 28, such that shank 26 extends vertically and upwardly from the camera mount 16. The threaded shank 26 is sized to be received within a correspondingly threaded attachment port 30 of the kind that is commonly found at the bottom of most video and still cameras, including the video camera 20 shown in FIG. 3. Thus, by rotating the knob 28, the upwardly projecting threaded shank 26 can be correspondingly rotated into mating engagement with the threaded attachment port 30, whereby the video camera 20 will be securely attached to and stabilized by the camera mount 16 at the upper leg 22 thereof.

[0021] The lower leg 32 of the C-shaped camera mount 16 has a hole 33 extending laterally therethrough (best shown in FIG. 4). The hole 33 in the lower leg 32 is sized to receive a fastener 34 (e.g. a carriage bolt) having a threaded end that projects horizontally and outwardly from the camera mount 16. As is also best shown in FIG. 4, a vertically extending slot 36 is formed in the lower leg 32 of camera mount 16. The vertically extending slot 36 and the laterally extending hole 33 through the lower leg 32 of camera mount 16 are perpendicularly aligned with one another for a purpose that will now be disclosed.

[0022] The forward-most end 38 of the retractable arm 10 in the outwardly extended position of FIG. 2 has a pair of oppositely extending angled faces 40 and 42. As shown in FIG. 3, each of the faces 40 and 42 at the forward-most end 38 of retractable arm 10 forms an angle of about 30 degrees downwardly from the horizontal. Projecting vertically upward from the forward-most end 38 of arm 10 at the intersection of the angled faces 40 and 42 is a mounting tab 44. A hole 46 is formed through mounting tab 44.

[0023] In the assembled configuration of FIG. 4, the upwardly projecting mounting tab 44 at the forward-most end 38 of retractable arm 10 is positioned inside the slot 36 formed in the lower leg 32 of camera mount 16. Next, the fastener 34 is inserted through the laterally extending hole 33 in the lower leg 32. At the same time that fastener 34 moves through hole 33, the fastener 34 also moves through the opening 46 in the mounting tab 44. A suitably threaded nut 48 (e.g. a wing nut) is then rotated into mating engagement with the threaded end of the fastener 34, whereby the camera mount 16 to which video camera 20 will be attached is connected to the retractable arm 10.

[0024] By virtue of the angled faces 40 and 42 at the forward-most end 38 of the retractable arm 10 in the outwardly extended position, the orientation of the video camera 20 that is coupled to arm 10 by way of the camera mount 16 can be selectively adjusted. More particularly, and turning now to FIG. 5 of the drawings, by first loosening the nut 48 that is mated to the threaded end of the fastener 34, the camera mount 16 which carries video camera 20 can be tilted in both forwards and backwards directions. That is, the fastener 34 that extends through the hole 46 formed in mounting tab 44 will function as an axis around which the camera mount 16 can rotate so as to tilt towards one angled face 40 as shown in broken lines and designated 16-1 or towards the opposite angled face 42 as shown in broken lines an designated 16-2 or any intermediate position therebetween.

[0025] As the camera mount 16 is titled, the video camera 20 that is attached thereto by means of the threaded shank 26 and rotatable knob 28 will be correspondingly rotated to achieve the precise orientation for filming the child seated within the ride-on toy 1 (in the manner shown in FIG. 6), depending upon the height of the child and his position within the passenger compartment 3. Once the camera 20 is properly oriented, the nut 48 is tightened around the threaded end of fastener 34 to preserve the alignment between camera 20 and the child to be photographed. The photographer may then apply a pushing force to the push bar 7 at the rear of toy vehicle 1 or simply stand by while the facial expressions of the child are captured by the video camera 20.

[0026] When the photo session has been completed, the video camera 20 is detached from the camera mount 16 by rotating the knob 28 and the threaded shank 26 thereof to cause the threaded shank 26 to rotate out of engagement with the attachment port 30 of camera 20. Although it is preferable that the camera mount 16 remain connected to the retractable arm 10, it is contemplated that it may sometimes be desirable to separate camera mount 16 from retractable arm 10. In this case, the camera mount 16 is disconnected from the retractable arm 10 by first removing nut 48 and then withdrawing the fastener 34 from its engagement with the mounting tab 44 of retractable arm 10. The retractable arm 10 is now free to be rotated rearwardly around pivot pin 14 without camera mount 16 so as to be returned to channel 12 at the front of the toy 1 and once again assume the at rest, retracted position of FIG. 1.

[0027] As an additional aspect of this invention, the retractable arm 10 to which the camera mount 16 is connected and the ride-on toy 1 within which the child is seated while being photographed can cooperate with one another to enhance the visual and aesthetic appearance of the toy. For example, in the case where the ride-on toy is shaped like an elephant (rather than the vehicle, as shown), the retractable arm 10 can be shaped to resemble the elephant's outstretched trunk. Accordingly, with the retractable arm 10 rotated to the outwardly extended position, a more realistic effect is produced that may increase the pleasure of the child rider so as to better occupy his attention during filming. 

I claim:
 1. In combination: a ride-on toy to carry a child to be photographed; an outstretched arm having first and opposite ends, the first end of said outstretched arm connected to said ride-on toy; and a camera mount connected to the opposite end of said outstretched arm for attachment to a camera by which to photograph the child being carried by said ride-on toy.
 2. The combination recited in claim 1, wherein the first end of said outstretched arm is pivotally connected to said ride-on toy, whereby said outstretched arm is rotabeable relative to said toy.
 3. The combination recited in claim 2, wherein said ride-on toy has a channel extending vertically therealong, said outstretched arm adapted to be rotated from a retracted position at which to be disposed within said channel to an outwardly extended position removed from said channel at which to be connected to said camera mount at the opposite end thereof.
 4. The combination recited in claim 3, wherein said ride-on toy also has a set of soft rubber wheels so that said toy will roll across the floor in response to a pushing force while minimizing vibrations that are transmitted to the camera attached to said camera mount by way of said outstretched arm rotated to the outwardly extended position.
 5. The combination recited in claim 4, wherein said ride-on toy also has a push bar projecting therefrom to which a pushing force is applied for causing said toy to roll across the floor with the outstretched arm rotated to the outwardly extended position and the camera attached to said camera mount to photograph the child being carried by said ride-on toy.
 6. The combination recited in claim 3, wherein said camera mount connected to the opposite end of said outstretched arm in the outwardly extended position has an upper leg and a lower leg, the lower leg of said camera mount connected to said opposite end, and the upper leg of said camera mount to be connected to the camera.
 7. The combination recited in claim 6, including a fastener removably received through the upper leg of said camera mount by which said camera mount and the camera are detachably connected to one another.
 8. The combination recited in claim 6, including a mounting tab extending from the opposite end of said outstretched arm, the lower leg of said camera mount having a slot formed therein for receipt of said mounting tab, and a fastener removably received through the lower leg of said camera mount and through said mounting tab by which said camera mount is pivotally 5 connected to said outstretched arm at the opposite end thereof.
 9. The combination recited in claim 8, wherein the opposite end of said outstretched arm has a pair of angled faces, said camera mount pivotally connected to said opposite end adapted to be rotated between said pair of angled faces, whereby to correspondingly tilt the camera connected to the upper leg of said camera mount so as to selectively adjust the alignment of the camera with the child to be photographed.
 10. In combination: a ride-on toy to carry a child to be photographed; an outstretched arm having first and opposite ends, the first end of said outstretched arm being pivotally connected to said ride-on toy, whereby said outstretched arm is adapted to be rotated from a retracted position adjacent said ride-on toy to an outwardly extended position projecting outwardly and away from said ride-on toy; a camera mount connected to the opposite end of said outstretched arm in the outwardly extended position; and a camera detachably connected to said camera mount by which to photograph the child carried by said ride-on toy.
 11. The combination recited in claim 10, wherein said camera mount is pivotally connected to the opposite end of said outstretched arm so as to be rotateable relative thereto, a rotation of said camera mount causing said camera detachably connected to said camera mount to be tilted so as to selectively adjust the alignment of said camera with the child to be photographed. 